"At first glance, Daliuta in northern China appears to have a river running through it. A closer look reveals the stretch of water in the center is a pond, dammed at both ends. Beyond the barriers, the Wulanmulun’s bed is dry."

"Daliuta in Shaanxi province sits on top of the world’s biggest underground coal mine, which requires millions of liters of water a day for extracting, washing and processing the fuel. The town is the epicenter of a looming collision between China’s increasingly scarce supplies of water and its plan to power economic growth with coal.

'Water shortages will severely limit thermal power capacity additions,' said Charles Yonts, head of sustainable research at brokerage CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets in Hong Kong. 'You can’t reconcile targets for coal production in, say, Shanxi province and Inner Mongolia with their water targets.'"